The Best Time of the Year
by E. Limberg
Summary: Danny and Lindsay spend the Christmas holiday together. My first DL fic. Please read and review.


**The Best Time of the Year**

"How'd we get stuck working Christmas, Montana?" Danny asks. It's Christmas day, he was not supposed to be working, and that made him mad. "What crime is so important on this day that it can't wait one stinkin' day to be solved?"

"Mac and Stella both called in sick this morning. If there's not someone here, the scene would have to be cleared out for a whole extra day. That might not be possible if it's a major area and keeps people from their plans," Lindsay explains.

"Why'd they call us to come in? Those two could still work; there's never any crimes on Christmas. It's not like they have any family close by."

"What do you mean?" she asks, handing him a mug of hot chocolate.

"Stella grew up in an orphanage, so she doesn't know her family. Mac's mother lives in Chicago; I doubt he'd fly all the way there for just one day. And what makes it more suspicious is that they're _both_ sick on the same day."

"What, are you implying Mac and Stella are together and did this just to annoy you? Besides, I didn't really have plans anyway; all my family's back home in Montana."

"I think they're sleeping together," Danny says. "And unlike you, my family does live around here. We always spend Christmas together."

"Put it this way, Danny, now we get New Years off," she smiles at him, and he can't stop the small smile that spreads over his face.

"You have plans after we get off?" he asks. Lindsay shakes her head. "Come over to my place. We can exchange presents, and I'll find something for dinner."

"Do you have a tree? A decorated one?"

"It's Christmas; of course I do. You're so funny sometimes, Montana. Just because we're on the other side of the country doesn't mean we celebrate differently. How many years have you been here?" he teases.

"This is only the third Christmas," she elbows him as she sits beside him on the couch.

"Hey, you know how much Mac hates it when Stella tries to decorate the lab. I brought a little tree to put in his office. I'll go get it, and we can decorate it. He'll get so mad at her, and she'll be mad at him for blaming her; it'll be funny."

She meets him in Mac's office ten minutes later. "Danny, making people argue is not funny, but when it's Mac and Stella, I must agree with you."

Danny clears a spot on Mac's desk and places the tree there. Lindsay spreads out the branches while he tries to untangle the lights. "Who came up with the idea of putting a tree in the house and decorating it with lights and ornaments in celebration of Jesus' birthday?" he asks, frustrated.

"If you really were asking, I have no idea," she takes the lights from him and has them untangled in a few minutes. "Is it that hard or are you that stupid?"

"Hey, I'm not stupid, Montana."

"Then will you comprehend it when I say my name is Lindsay, not Montana. I'm starting to get annoyed after two and a half years."

"I like Montana better. Maybe we should have a kid and name it Montana, then I'll call you Lindsay."

"Danny Messer, I'm not going to have your children, and even if I did, what kind of name is Montana?" she raises her voice, wrapping the lights around the miniature tree.

"I don't know, Montana. You know, it's never going to stop. I think you secretly like your nickname," Danny plugs in the little star on top.

"You're a pain in the butt."

"I can't help that I love you, Lindsay," he confesses.

"I – I love you too, Danny."

He leans down to give her a kiss. "I'll wait until later to do more to you. We've only got three hours left."

She smiles, "What will Mac say about us? It's not against the office rules, is it?"

"Montana, even if it is, he's breaking it with Stella every time he gets in bed with her. No one will mind."

They decorate the tree quietly together, wasting yet another hour of work. When they finish, they stand back to admire their work. "It looks so cute."

"We still have a while before we can leave. Wanna play cards?" Danny asks.

"Sure. Rummy?"

"Alright."

Lindsay wins five hands while Danny wins three. "I can't believe I'm beating you. Everyone at home always beat me. You must be really bad, Danny."

"The only game I'm good at is poker. My brother and I played it all the time before he got involved with the Tanglewood boys. Why don't we leave? I'm sure they won't mind if we leave fifteen minutes early."

They walk to the locker room and grab their coats. "I loved seeing snow back home; it was beautiful with everything covered. Here it's just a nuisance."

"Doesn't bother me unless I have to be out processing a scene for more than an hour."

"You'll have to come with me to Montana sometime."

** CSI: NY **

"Thanks, Lindsay," Danny says as he opens his present.

"I'm sorry I broke your watch last week. I was just so upset, and it was the closest thing to me."

"It's okay since I don't have to keep asking everyone what time it is. They all said I needed to get a new watch. And this one's a lot nicer than the one you broke," he slips it onto his wrist. "Here, your turn," he hands her a nicely wrapped rectangular box.

Lindsay opens it slowly. Inside is a beautiful gold necklace with a diamond pendent and matching earrings. "Danny, it's wonderful. Why'd you spend so much on me? I don't deserve all this."

"Because I love you, Lindsay. I told you this before, and you rejected me. I hope we can be together now, and you won't make me wait any longer."

"I already said yes, Danny."

"I had to hear you say it again, Montana."

"I love you," she kisses him softly.

"Dinner should be ready," he smiles, getting up to set the table.

"I'll wear my presents to work tomorrow. Need help?" she follows him.

"No, you just relax."

Once he is done serving, the two sit down to dinner. "Danny, I never knew you were such a good cook."

"Really? Everyone else's food always seems to taste better," he asks.

"Yes, this is delicious. It reminds me of being with my family for Christmas rather than staying here in the city alone like I've done the past two years," she takes another bite of ham.

"Well, someday I hope we do have our own family here in New York. I bet you'd be a great mother, Linds."

"I don't know about that. Maybe it could happen. Definitely not anytime soon though."

"Yes, we have to wait, see where this takes us. Maybe a couple years from now we'll start a family."

"Maybe."

"Save room for desert. I have pie. And no, I didn't make it. My mom asked me to bring it for Christmas dinner," Danny explains.

"Why didn't you go there after shift? You still had time to spend with your family."

"Ah, doesn't matter that much. We'll have Christmas this weekend. And I couldn't let you be alone again on Christmas. It's a day for friends and family."

"You're so nice, Danny," Lindsay says.

"I try to be," he laughs.

"Let me help you clean up. Then we can watch some Christmas movies."

Half and hour later the pair sat on the couch. Lindsay was curled up next to Danny, head on his shoulder, while he had his arms around her. TBS was having its usual A Christmas Story marathon, and the movie just happened to be starting. After that Frosty was on another channel. As that movie ends, Lindsay starts to stir.

"I always cried at the end when Frosty died when I was little."

"So the country girl isn't as tough as she seems?" he teases.

"What movie made you cry when you were young?"

"Then one about the year without Santa or whatever it is called. I went up to my mom and asked whether Santa was coming this year. She was like 'of course he is, Danny'."

"When did you find out Santa wasn't real?" she asks.

"My brother ruined it. I was in second grade, and he came up to me Christmas Eve and said 'Santa is not real, Danny. Only babies believe he is'. So I asked my mother. That's when she told me about him. What about you?"

"I was in fifth grade, I think. My younger sister accidentally found the presents that my parents had hidden from us in the basement. There were a whole bunch of them. We started to open them, and my parents came downstairs a few minutes later to find us looking at out gifts, paper all over the floor. Later I asked my dad whether Santa was real and if he was, why our presents were in the basement instead of with him. He told me the truth that night. We didn't get in trouble for opening them, but as punishment we had to wait another two weeks before we got the toys or whatever."

"Ready for pie?" Danny scoots out from under her to get it.

"What kind is it?" she asks, taking a piece from him, whipped cream already on it.

"Some kind of chocolate mint thing. I'm not sure; it just sounded good when I picked it up."

"Are you sure you didn't make this?" Lindsay jokes.

"Of course not," he flings his fork her direction to make his point, accidentally dropping the whipped cream onto her shirt. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to ruin your shirt."

"It's not ruined, just needs washed." She stands. "Actually, Danny, as much as I'm enjoying the evening, I should go home. It's late, and my parents probably called."

"No. Spend the night here. I'll wash your clothes so you can wear them again. You can borrow something of mine to sleep in. Tell your parents you got caught up at work and couldn't leave," he begs her to stay.

"I – okay, Danny."

Immaturely he wipes the whipped cream off her shirt with his finger and eats it. "It's still good."

She rolls her eyes, pulling her shirt off. "There."

"Well, you country girls sure aren't shy," he kisses her, pulling her closer to him.

"Danny…" she whispers, pulling back.

"I won't hurt you, Lindsay."

"I know you won't," she smiles.

He kisses her again, but moves down to her bare shoulder. Slowly he makes his way up to her neck where he bites her earlobe. His hands run up and down her back soothingly. Danny feels her unbutton his shirt and push is off. They move back carefully until his back touches the wall, letting him know she's in control. He spins her back to the door, challenging her. She doesn't try to take her place back. Cautiously they attempt to walk to the bedroom.

Halfway there they break apart. Lindsay looks up, "We stopped in the perfect spot."

"What?" he mumbles.

"Look up," she points.

"I suppose I should kiss you." That he does, obeying the mistletoe tradition. Locked together again, Danny keeps moving them to the bedroom, trying to get her pants off.

Lindsay sticks her tongue in his mouth, meeting his. His mind goes blank and all he can comprehend is that he loves her. She screams softly as they fall back onto the bed. "I love you."

"I love you too," Danny says into her mouth. They roll over, and he nips at the side of her neck, leaving his mark. She scratches his back with her nails, leaving her mark as well.

"No more marks, Danny. I'll look like a nerd at work tomorrow."

"Face it, Montana, we're already nerds whether we want to be or not. At least to the police officers."

"The whole lab doesn't need to know we're together yet."

"Afraid of getting in trouble?"

"I'm with you right now; you _are_ trouble, Danny Messer."

He glances at the clock on his nightstand: 11:59. "Merry Christmas, Montana. I hope it's the best one you've had in a while."

"It is, Danny. Thanks for this. Merry Christmas and lots of love."

**A/N: I can go ahead and post this. I wrote it for CSI Santa but the person I wrote for dropped out so… it's okay for me to put it up. My first Danny and Lindsay fic. Hope it's okay.**


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